Carton for powdery material



Oct. 21, 1947. G. M. WOODRUFF CARTON FOR POWDERY MATERIAL Filed Sept. 23, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WVENTOR, Gsonas M WooonurF. MMQ 'MW Oct. 21, 1947. WOQDRUFF 2,429,540

CARTON FOR POWDERY MATERIAL I Filed Sept. 23, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR. GEOR6E M. WOODRUFP Y JMMvM 'Af/arrEVS Patented Oct. 21, 1947 2,429,540 CARTON FOR POWDERY MATERIAL George M. Woodruff, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Procter'& Gamble Company, Cincinnati,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 23, 1943, Serial No.'503,517

, Claims. 1

My invention relates to improved cartons, and their blank's, especially adapted for packing powdery or dusty materials.

The specific objects of my invention are:

To provide an improved carton which when filled will be dust-tight, i. e. will retain its contents without leakage under all ordinary conditions of packing, storage, and shipment.

To provide a dust-tight carton suitable for use as a retail package for soap granules, soap powder, powdered soap, soap flakes, and the like.

To provide an improved carton blank suitable for feeding in flat sheet form to a carton-forming machine in which it may be formed and sidesealed, ready for filling, in a single high-speed operation.

To provide an improved empty carton which may be filled with the material to be packed, and then closed and top-sealed by means of standard automatic carton-filling and top-sealing equip- I ment of well known type.

cent blanks.

Since the advent of automatic packing equipment many different forms of cartons have been designed and used. The general shape of carton most commonly used is one that is taller than it is wide, and wider than it is deep (speaking of depth from front to back). This shape is preferred for reasons of economy in manufacture and filling, durability in shipping and storage, and convenience in use. In making cartons of this shape either of two general types of blanks may be used: type A blanks, having the front, bottom, and rear carton panels consecutively adjacent, from which the, carton is formed by bend- 1 'ing the articulated front and rear panels upward from the bottom panel and by bending the right and left side panels backward from the lateral or side edges of the front panel or forward from the rear panel), the bottom of the finished carton consisting of a single layer of carton board material; and type B blanks, having the side, rear, side, and front carton panels consecutively adjablank adapted cent, from which the carton is formed by=bending the right and left side panels forward from the rear panel, bending the front panel tothe left from the front edge of the right side panel, and

by bending the bottom panel and bottom flap backward and forward respectively from the lower edges of the front and rear panels, the bottom of the finished carton of, this type consisting at least in part of a plurality of layers-of carton board material.

In the past, cartons of type A have not met with general favor because of one or another of several major defects, including serious lack of tightness,

relative lack of rigidity to withstand stresses and 1 strains, and frequently a lack of economy of car- As a result of these and other ton board material. defects cartons of type A are rarely if ever used today for the packing of powdery material which is subject to excessive leakage.

Cartons of type B are more extensively used in the carton printing factory prior to the final forming and bottom sealing operation (or as an packing which would otherwise be possible, because it necessarily requires more separate consecutive stepsthan are required in forming and side-sealing cartons of type A. V

does not lend itself to the high rate of automatic v A new form of carton has now been devised,

and is hereinafter described, which overcomes the above-mentioned defects and shortcomings, without sacrificing any of the desirable features of previously known cartons, and which permits a greater economy of carton board material than has heretofore been attained, besides fulfilling theother objects mentioned.

Economy of carton board or other sheet material is an important consideration and is worthy of the expenditure of considerable ingenuity and effort. These are facts which will readily be appreciated when one considers the widespread use of cartons for packing such consumer commodities as many forms of food, soaps, starch, and the like, as evidenced by the number of cartons entering the average home as containers for grocery store purchases. A ten per cent economy be'measured in millions of dollars per year for the country as a whole.

Several preferred forms of-the new carton of my invention, which is a carton of aforementioned type A, are illustrated in various stages of manufacture in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a singleblank of a preferred design.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a multiple layout of these blanks in a long sheet of carton material.

. Figures 3, 4, and 5 show perspective views of successive steps of forming this blank and sealing thefinished carton.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective interior view of one of the bottom corners of the carton which is shown'in its entirety in Figures 4 and 5.

Figures 7 and 8 are fragmentary views of a different modification of the invention, the first depicting apart of the blank and the second an enlarged perspective of an inside bottom comer of the formed carton.

Similarly Figures 9 and 10 and Figures 11 and 12 illustrate two other modifications of the invention, each in the blank and in the formed carton.

Figures 13, 14, and 15 are fragmentary views of blanks, illustrating several variations in the design of my new carton.

The dotted lines of Figures 1, 2, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 15 represent score marks to permit bending along these lines, and the solid lines indicate outer boundaries and incisions where the carton finished carton of preferred design, B represents the bottom panel, F the front panel, R the rear panel, L the left side panel, D the right side panel, '1 the top panel, Z an inner top flap, and M and N inner top fiaps. P and Q are inner flaps articulated to the lateral edges of the bottom panel to cover the bottom portions of the side panels; V and W are inner side-seam flaps to be sealed to the side panels after the blank is formed into carton shape; and 'X and Y represent outer flaps articulated to the side edges of the top flap to cover the top portions of the side panels.

Features of the design and dimensions of this preferred form of my carton are:

(1) that side-seam flaps V and W are no wider (measured from the fiap base or score line outward) than necessary for effective sealing, which with present day adhesives and sealing methods may correspond to a width of about one-half inch for cartons of about 50 to 150 cubic inches capacity;

(2) that side-of-top fiaps X and Y are no wider than side-seam flaps V andW;

(3) that side-of-bottom flaps P and Q are no wider (measured outward from the flap base or score line) than one half the sum of the carton depth (i. e. the width of side panel L or D) plus the side-seam flap width;

(Features 1, 2, and 3, when combined with the I general configuration found in type A cartons configuration along the lateral edges of the blank.)

(4) that side-of-bottom flaps P and Q are provided with incisions pp and (IQ cut entirely through the carton board for a substantial distance from the outer edge of each of these fiaps towards its base, and so located that when the carton is' formed these incisions lie along the outer edges ofside-seam flaps V and W respectively, and thus permit flaps P and Q, and particularly their outer portions, to conform snugly to the offsets formed where fiaps V and W overlap panels L and D, respectively, thus leaving no open crevice through which leakage can occur (see Fig. 6).

(5) that all flaps are rectangular in shape and that each flap is as long as the panel to which it is articulated,

Because this carton has square corners on overlapping fiaps V and P, and W and Q, it is well reemorced when subjected to stresses in the directions corresponding to arrows I-i' and ll" of Fig. 5, and when closely sealed there is no possibility of leakage of packed material from the bottom corners. Flaps Z, M, and N, besides serving to prevent leakage from the upper corners,-eil'ectively reenforce the'carton against stresses in the general directions 2-2", 3-3", 4-4", 22, or 4-4 of Figure 5; Flaps-Xand Y materially improve the tightness, as 'well as reenforcing and thus increasing the strength of the carton, and accomplish these objects without increasing the amount of carton board-material cut from the roll. Thus every flap of this carton serves a useful purpose in preventing leakage and in adding to the stiffness and strength of the finished carton at points where such' added strength is advantageous.

There is no excess waste material in fiaps V and W; and flaps P and Q are as large, and hence as strong, as is possible without any wastage of material.

In cutting a series of successive blanks for this carton from a sheet of carton board material alternate blanks are laid out facing in one direction, and the intervening blanks are laid out facing in the opposite direction, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that when laid out in this manner the adjacent parts of consecutive blanks exactly fit together, thereby eliminating all wastage of sheet material between adjacent blanks. The

overall area of carton sheet material used in making one of these cartons is materially less than that required for cartons of type B having the same capacity. For example, in a carton of the proportions here shown about five and one half per cent less material is used in my carton than the amount that would be used in an equivalent carton of type B.

The blank for this form of carton may be fed in flat sheet form to a specially designed cartonforming machine in which it may be formed and side-sealed in the packing factory in a single high speed operation all ready for filling.

The steps of the carton-forming and side-sealing operation which precedes thefilling and closing of the carton in the packing operation will readily be understood by referring to Figures 3 and 4. These steps. ost of which may be performed more or less simultaneously by a properly designed automatic machine, include: bending front and rear panels F and R upward from the front and rear edges of bottom panelB longthe score lines between these members, similarly may be referred to as a symmetrical step-wise 7Q bending flaps P and Q upward from the side edges of bottom panel B, bending side-seam flap V and'W forward from the side edges of rear panel R, "bending right and left side panels D and L backward from the side edges of front panel F,

eral bending steps as indicated in Fig. 4, and applying pressure to seal P and Q to the lower portions of V and L, and of W and D, respectively,

and'to seal V and W to the rear portions of L and D respectively. The block of the cartonforming machine, around which the blank is folded and against which the sealing pressure is applied, is preferably recessed to the depth of one layer of carton board material over the areas of its sides corresponding to the areas of overlap of flaps 'Pand V and of flaps Q and W, respectively, in order that the sealing pressure may be uniformly applied and that full benefits may be obtained from the incised construction of these overlapping flaps.

Thesteps of the carton closing and sealing operation, which follows the filling of the carton with the material being packed, include: bending flaps M and N inwardly from the upper edges of sidepanels L and D along the score lines between these members, applying adhesive to the inner (under) surface of top flap Z, bending this flap forward from the upper edge of rear panel R,

applying adhesive to the inner (under) surface of top panel T, bending this panel backward from the upper edge of front panel F, applying adhesive to the inner (under) surfaces of flaps X and Y, bending these flaps downward from the side edges of top flap Z, and applying pressure to seal Z to M and N, and T to Z, and to seal X and Y to the upper portions of L and D respectively, to complete the packed and sealed carton shown in Fig, 5. Both the carton filling operation and the closing and top sealing operation may be performed with standard equipment of types well known and widely used today.

Instead of providing incisions pp and qq in side-of-bottom flaps P and Q as shown in Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, similar incisions may alternatively be cut in side-seam flaps V and W as shown in Figures '7 and 8. The incision may extend only a portion of the distance from the outer edge of the fiap towards its base or score line, or substantially the entire distance as illustrated. When the incisions are in flaps V and W, instead of in P and Q, the carton forming operation is modified to the extent that flaps V and W are folded in before flaps P and Q, with the result that V is inside of P, and W is inside of Q (see Fig. 8), in

the formed carton.

Another permissible modification of the design of my carton, but not a preferred one, consists in cutting a rectangular piece out of a corner of one'flap of each of the pairs of overlapping flaps.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate this modification as applied to side-of-bottom flaps P and Q, and

Figures 11 and 12 show it as applied to sideseam fiaps V and W. The incisions pp and qq, or in) and ww, as the case may be, define one cut-away edge of this corner. The other cutaway edge is substantially perpendicular to the incision and extends from its inner termination to that lateral edge of the flap which overlaps the other flap.

As in the case of the flaps having incisions only, and not cut-away corners, the flaps having incisions together with cut-away corners are folded in first, in forming the carton, so that they lie the utmost degree of dust-tightness at this-ofiset juncture.

It is obvious that many'variations can be-made from the exact designs of cartons andblanks as here described and illustrated, without departing from the spirit and scopeof 'my invention. For example, the outerside-of-top fiaps X and Y may be attached to the lateral edges of the other carton top member, that is to'the top panel instead of to the lateral edges of the top flap. In this event T of Fig.1 will then serve as the top flap and Z will serve as them}: panel. Also,.the carton panels which have been called front and rear in this specificationandin the claims may be reversed, with consequent'change in the names of the panels to which the side'panels and sideseam tabs are afiixed. Consequently the-terms eled outer corners as in Figures 14 and 15, instead of the rectangular" corners which are preferred I because of the strength and, rigidity which they bestow. Also, the relative widths of the flaps articulated to the lateral edges of the top,bottom,

and rear panels need not bear the preferredstepwise relationship hitherto described, if economy of carton board is not a matter of major concern, Y

Figures 14 and 15 show designs in which the-lateral edges of the blank do not have the preferred symmetrical stepwise configuration which permits utilization of all carton board in cutting a series of blanks. ousy be made.

, This application is a continuation-impart of my application Serial Number 344,948, filed July Having thus described my inventionpwhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A blank for-1a dust-tight rectangular carton,

having six face panels articulated so that the top,

rear, bottom, and front panels are consecutively adjacent in one direction, and the-left side, front, and right side panels areconsecutively adjacent in the direction perpendicular thereto, each of the side panels and the front panel having a 'flap articulated to its upper edge, and each of the top, rear, and bottom panels having a flap articulated to each of its two lateral edges, the'fiaps articulated to said rear panel having widths less than the widths of said side panels, whereby whensaid blank is formed into carton shape one bottom corner of each side wall is formed by the overlap of two flaps and one panel, the inner one of said two flaps having an incision therein along the line :where it overlies the edge of the other of said flaps, said incision having a direction perpendicular to that of the line of articulation of said inner fiap.

2. A rectangular, dust-tightcarton made from the blank of claim 1.

3. The blank of claim 1 wherein a substantially rectangular corner is cut out of each of said incised flaps, said corner being bounded by said incision and by a line substantially perpendicular thereto extending from the inner termination Other like modifications may obvi- 7 thereof to that lateral edge of said flap which overlaps said other flap.

4. .The blank of claim 1 in which said incisions are made in the fiaps which are articulated to the lateral edges of the bottom panel.

5. The blank of claim 1 in which said incisions are made in the side-seam flaps.

6. A blank for a dust-tight, rectangular carton of the type having six face panels articulated so that the top, rear, bottom, and front panels are consecutively adjacent in one direction, and the left side, front, and right side panels are coni secutively adjacent in the direction perpendicular thereto, and wherein each of the side panels and the front panel has a flap articulated to its upper edge, and each of the top, rear, and bottom panels has a flap articulated to each of its two lateral edges, the flaps articulated to said rear panel having widths less than the widths of said side panels, said blank being characterized by having anincision throughone of the two fiaps which overlap each other when the carton is'formed into shape at the bottom of the right side panel, and a similar incision through a corresponding flap at the left, each of said incisions being adjacent when the carton is formed into shape to the outer edge of said other overlapping flap and extending from the outer edge of said first flap a substantial distance towards its base;

7. A blank for a dust-tight, rectangular carton of the type having six face panels articulated so that the top, rear, bottom, and front panels are consecutively adjacent in one direction, and the left-side, front, and right side panels are consecutively adjacent in the direction perpendicular thereto, and wherein each of the side panels and the front panel has a flap articulated to its upper edge, and each of the top, bottom and rear panels has a flap articulated to each of its two lateral edges, the flaps articulated to said rear panel having widths less than the widths of said side panels, said blank being characterized: by having an incision through the inner one of the two'flaps which overlap each other when the carton is formed into shape at the bottom of the right side panel, and a similar incision through a corresponding flap at the left, each of said incisions being adjacent when the carton is formed into shape to the outer edge of said overlapping flap and extending from the outeredge of said first fiap a substantial distance towards its base; and by having all of its flaps substantially rectangular in shape and each as long as the panel to which it is articulated; and by having a symmetrical stepwise configuration along the lateral edges of said blank, whereby a series of said blanks, when out from a continuous strip of carton board material, utilizes all of said stripbetween the first and the last blank of the series, with substantially no wastage of unused material between adjacent blanks, essentially as illustrated.

8. A rectangular, dust-tight carton formed from the blank of claim 7.

9. A rectangular carton, suitable for the packing of flaked or granulated solid materials, said cartonhaving greater height than width, and greater width than depth from front to back, and being adapted to be formed and side sealed in a high speed operation from a single fiat blank, comprising: a bottom panel, a front and a back panel articulated to the front and back edges, respectively, of the bottom panel, two side panels, each articulated to One of the lateral edges of the front panel, two side-seal flaps, each articulated to one of the lateral edges of'the back panel, two side-of-bottom flaps, each articulated to one of the lateral edges of the bottom panel, a top panel articulated to the upper edge of the front panel, a top flap articulated to the upper edge of the back panel, and two inner top flaps, each articulated to the upper edge of one of the side panels, the line of articulation of each of said members of which said carton is comprised extending substantially the full length of the edge of the member to which it is articulated, and the lateral edges of all flaps being substantially perpendicular to the 'lines of articulation thereof, the width of each of said side-seam flaps measuring width of flaps outwardly from'the line of articulation being substantially the minimum for effective sealing, the width of each of said side-of-bottom flaps being no greater than one half the sum of the side panel width plus the side-seam flap width; and each of said side-of-bottom flaps having an incision extending from itsouter edge a substantial distance towards its base, and located so that when the carton is formed said-incision will be in line with the outer edge of the adjacent side-seam flap and will be adapted to permit the upper edge of said side-of-bottom flap to conform closely both to said sideseam flap and to the overlapping side panel.

10. The blank of claim 1 in which said incisions are in the form of mere slits made in the flaps which are articulated to the lateral edges of the bottom panel, said flaps being of rectangular conformation.

" GEORGE M. WOODRUFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 712,434 Fiske Oct. 28, 1902 1,863,259 Van Buren June 14, 1932 899,212 Fiske Sept. 22, 1908 2,015,413 Snyder Sept. 24, 1935 2,373,701 Meredith Apr. 17, 1945 7 2,124,868 Davidson July 26, 1938 1,923,716 Fisher et al. Aug. 22, 1933 899,212 Fiske Sept. 22, 1908 1,431,128 Sappenfield Oct. 3, 1922 

